Unexpected Correspondence
by Steph's Puppet
Summary: Kitty gets a letter from an unexpected source but her reply unfortunately ends up in the wrong hands. Set post episode 6.
1. Chapter 1

Unexpected Correspondence

Letters for Kitty were a rarity. Since she had started working at the hospital she could count on one hand the number of letters she had received. There was the disparaging letter from her mother, now torn and lost to the wind, and a few apologetic letters from Francis who wished he had done more to help her, not that she could blame him for not coming forward with the truth about the supposed affair.

It would have been easier for Kitty to remain absorbed in her work and ignore her own lack of letters if she hadn't been constantly exposed to the love everyone else seemed to receive. Most commonly she would see Rosalie and Flora receiving packages and warm letters from home. Rosalie mostly received packages from her parents, which was no real surprise since her somewhat preachy attitude had no doubt affected her chances of making friends in the past. If any good came from this war it would be that Rosalie had learnt how to get on better with others.

Flora also received the occasional package of sweets but mostly she received piles of letters, a few from parents but the vast majority seemed to be from friends back in England. Late at night, when Kitty was struggling to sleep due to nightmares, occasionally she would see light in the corner and hear a few muffled giggles as Flora read amusing anecdotes.

Miles was less than subtle about his letters, he would often read them in public and if anyone questioned him about the contents he would loudly announce that the letters were from his many female admirers at home. During one of these episodes she had been standing near Thomas, feeling a little despondent. Noticing her mood, Thomas had whispered to her that the only female admirer sending Miles letters was his mother, who affectionately called him 'Millie' in her letters. The words had the desired effect and she felt a little cheerier for the rest of the day, particularly so due to the incident that occurred when Miles found out that Thomas had told her about his nickname.

Kitty had thought that if anyone was receiving the same number of letters as her it would have been Thomas, considering she had never seen him receive any letters or read any. That was until she started spending more time with him and realised that he received letters rarely but in bulk, often around ten letters at a time from various family members. Upon receiving them he would stuff them in a pocket to read later, usually accompanied with an annoyed mutter about how much pointless gossip his two younger sisters would have written. Despite the annoyance she would usually catch a small affectionate smile when he mentioned his siblings.

Suffice it to say, Kitty was more than a little surprised to receive a letter of her own out of the blue one day. The handwriting on the envelope was neat and unfamiliar, nothing like her mother's overly formal style nor Francis's near illegible scrawl. Curious as she was to the contents she did not want to open it in public considering her past cases of reactions to letters.

Later that night, when both Flora and Rosalie were fast asleep, she pulled the letter out and swiftly opened it, feeling two slips of paper within the envelope. She lifted one out and unfolded it, the writing was completely different from that on the envelope, messy and uneven and familiar enough to illicit a chocked sob from Kitty. The heading of "_Mummy_" effectively eliminated any doubt as to the sender of her letter.

Sylvie's letter was both heart-breaking and relieving for Kitty. Her youthful innocence was all over the letter, from her confusion as to why she wasn't staying with Mummy anymore, to her dislike of a woman called Vera who apparently treated her like a baby. Kitty did not know any women called Vera, but considering Elliott had told her he was remarrying she could assume that Vera would be Sylvie's stepmother. The letter went on to describe events at school that would be incredibly mundane to an adult but to a child seemed monumentally important. Kitty slowly absorbed each story and wiped the tears away before they could hit the letter and dilute the ink that the precious words were written in.

One read-through was not enough, Kitty read the letter over and over again until the words were almost committed to memory. At one point she turned the letter over and found a note in handwriting that matched that on the envelope. The note was from Sylvie's teacher who had helped Sylvie with the letter after Sylvie had found the address at home. Kitty guessed that Elliot must have written down her hospital address when he had managed to track her down, although she doubted that Elliot had intended for Sylvie to find it and use it.

The second page within the envelope was not a letter but a drawing, if it were not for the helpful annotations Kitty would probably have struggled to understand who each of the figures was meant to represent. Clearly Sylvie had inherited her lack of talent in the artistic department. The figure labelled 'Mummy' was wearing a blue uniform and smiling somewhat sinisterly next to an also smiling soldier who seemed to be missing a leg. Kitty couldn't tell if that was drawn intentionally to suggest an injury or if Sylvie was just really bad at drawing. Next to Kitty was a smaller figure labelled 'Sylvie'. Conspicuous by its absence was the 'Daddy' figure. Back when Kitty had still been with Elliott she could remember that Sylvie's drawings, no matter the subject matter, always included Sylvie, Elliot and herself. Kitty could not guess what had caused the change.

Kitty checked the envelope again to double check that there was no other sheets of paper. She carefully refolded the letter and drawing and placed them into her apron pocket before going to sleep and sleeping better than she had since she had arrived. No nightmares plagued her that night, only dreams of her smiling happy daughter.

* * *

**AN: So I started writing this before episode 6 (yes I know that was ages ago) and was going to write it as Kitty gets a letter from her daughter and tells Thomas about it and that's how he finds out about her past etc, because I figured the best way for Kitty to tell him her past without a long exposition dump would be to talk about her daughter …. which ended up happening in episode 6.**

**As you can see, Thomas is not in this chapter. This is partly because I ended up writing a lot more about Kitty's reaction to the letter than I thought but also because I'm not sure which idea I want to use in the second chapter. So if you want this to continue can you please vote on an idea listed below. The scenario for the second chapter will be the same for either idea but obviously the reactions and context will be different depending on the choice below.**

**1. Kitty tells Thomas about the letter and that's how he finds out she has a daughter (i.e. alternate version of episode 6).**

**2. Kitty tells Thomas about the letter and he already knows about Sylvie (i.e. set post episode 6).**


	2. Chapter 2

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 2

The next day Kitty rose early, feeling refreshed. She dressed quickly, her fingers lightly touched the letter she had put in her apron pocket as she pulled it out again to make sure she had received it and not just dreamt or imagined it.

Shuffling to her left caught her attention, and she quickly put the letter back into her pocket. The sound had only been Rosalie shifting in her sleep, but Kitty did not take her letter back out. Her friendship with Rosalie was still fragile, and Kitty did not want to risk another fall out that might occur if Rosalie awoke and questioned her about the letter. Rosalie might have come to terms with Kitty's divorce, but whether she would also to be able to accept Kitty leaving behind a daughter would be another matter, and it would be too difficult for Kitty to explain to her why it hadn't been possible for her to stay with Sylvie.

Kitty left the tent and went to the board to see where she had been assigned that morning. Once at the ward, she was immediately put to work changing bandages. It felt strange to see the blood and grisly wounds after reading Sylvie's letter. The letter had been a reminder of her old life and getting back to work had been an abrupt return to the present. She was no longer the ignorant, sheltered girl she had been, which was darkly amusing considering that a few years ago she had thought that her marriage had shattered any pre-existing illusions about the world.

Her gloomy thoughts didn't last long though, she could not change the past but she could hope for a future that included her daughter. Kitty hadn't realised how noticeable her good mood was until Miles, who had been examining a few patients on the ward, remarked "You're cheery today, have you suddenly realised your irrevocable love for me?" The words were typical of Miles, but the tone had the same oddly subdued and slightly bitter inflection that she had observed over the last few days. Thomas had noticed as well, but neither of them could figure out the cause for Miles's strange mood. Unsure how to respond, she rolled her eyes and hoped that he would return to his normal self soon.

Shortly afterwards, Kitty found an excuse to leave the awkward situation in order to collect more bandages from the supply tent. Bracing herself for the usual struggle, she started trying to push the cart through the door. Progress was slow until an unexpected pair of hands caught the other end and pulled the cart through. Kitty stepped through the door and came face to face with a very familiar pair of blue eyes. "Thank you," Kitty said with a smile, as she glanced quickly around the room in case anyone else was present for the exchange.

"No problem." Thomas replied. They had spoken a few times since their rendezvous in the woods but this was the first time since that they had really been alone, and Kitty was struggling to maintain her composure when all she really wanted to do was kiss him senseless.

"You look really tired." Kitty observed, eyeing his hair which was the same unruly mess that it had been the night of the concert when she had slapped him and he had grasped her by the waist. As before, her fingers itched to smooth the dark hair back to its normal neat position.

"I was working all night, the new influx of patients meant that I was doing back to back operations."

"What time does your shift end?" She asked sympathetically.

"Three o'clock, how about yours?"

"Two o'clock, although it usually runs over."

"Do you want to meet at twenty past three?" He asked.

"I would love to, but are you sure you wouldn't rather catch up on sleep?" Somewhat selfishly, Kitty couldn't help but want to meet up with him. He was the only one other than Matron who knew about Sylvie, and Kitty felt like she would burst if she didn't share her news with someone.

"I can sleep later, I would much rather speak to someone who isn't unconscious for a little while. Miles's silence is driving me mad."

"I thought Miles's incessant chatter was driving you mad." She teased lightly as she collected the bandages and placed them on the cart.

"It was," he agreed, "but the silence is slightly more worrying."

"Understandable. Anyway I have to go," Kitty kissed him quickly on the cheek, she felt him tense in surprise at the sudden contact before relaxing just as quickly. "I'll see you at twenty past three, in the woods, correct?" He nodded and helped her to push the cart through the doorway again.

* * *

**AN: The response to the last chapter was brilliant and all the reviews were really sweet. As you can see option 2 had the highest number of votes so the story is now officially set a few days after episode 6, hence why Miles is moody in this chapter. Miles's moodiness will probably be resolved in a separate one-shot as I feel the scene would feel a little out of place in this story.**

**So originally this chapter was much longer but my OCD on chapter length got the better of me so the second half has been allocated to Chapter 3 which I will probably post tomorrow after I have corrected a few more little parts. If there's anything in particular any of you want to see, mention it in the comments and I will see if I can include it.**


	3. Chapter 3

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 3

A few hours later, Kitty was leaning against a tree in the clearing where she had last met Thomas. She had arrived early so, to pass the time, she pulled out Sylvie's letter to re-read. She was in the middle of Sylvie's account of how a boy called Billy had made fun of her because she was only a girl and her appropriate and mature response of putting a frog down his shirt, when the rustle of boots on leaves alerted her to Thomas's arrival. They greeted each other amiably before Thomas curiously asked her what she was reading.

"Sylvie sent me a letter," Kitty replied, "I'm not entirely sure how she managed it, but she's always been very determined to get her own way." She paused uncertainly, she was not entirely sure if he wanted to listen to her talk non-stop about her daughter again, but his expression was encouraging so she continued before she could change her mind. "Would you like to read it?"

"Why don't we swap letters?" Thomas suggested as he found a suitable log to sit on, Kitty joined him on the log as he pulled out a wad of letters from his pocket. "You can pick whichever you want."

"I only get to read one?" Kitty asked disbelievingly, "My letter is worth at least four."

"Definitely not four, my family has a flair for the dramatic so two letters should be more than enough."

They haggled back and forth over the number of letters until Kitty spontaneously kissed him and Thomas suddenly found himself agreeing that four letters really was a reasonable amount. Victorious, Kitty immediately stole his pack of letters and flicked through them, trying to pick which four she would read.

"I recommend these two." Thomas said, pointing the chosen letters out, "My sisters are not speaking to each other at the moment and, instead of having a reasonable discussion about it, they are venting their frustrations at me."

"Any other recommendations?"

"My nephew wrote a nice letter, he's about the same age as your daughter but probably far less brave from what you've told me." That letter was also added to her small pile. The final letter she picked randomly from the remaining stack.

"Good choice." Thomas remarked when she showed him her final choice.

"Who wrote it?" She asked.

"My father. Good luck trying to understand what he's written though, he's a little… eccentric."

Reading Thomas's mail was quite insightful into his home life, which, Kitty mused, was probably part of the reason he was letting her read his mail. As promised, the two sisters mostly complained about each other and the childish insults were all the more funny when Thomas told her that his sisters were in their early twenties and not in their teens, like Kitty had suspected.

His nephew's letter was in many ways similar to Sylvie's. Both children covered similar subject matter but a comparison of the two letters made it immediately evident which child was being given the better education. Sylvie's letter may have been messy but the spelling and grammar were flawless, the same could not be said about Alistair's letter. It was a startling reminder of the difference between her background and Thomas's and it raised a few questions as to how Thomas had managed to become a surgeon. Kitty decided she would ask him about it at a later date before she turned to the next letter.

The letter Thomas's father had written was confusing to say the least, the man seemed incapable of completing a thought before moving onto another. She could definitely see why Thomas had labelled him as 'eccentric', despite the lack of structure to the letter she did get the sense that Thomas's father was very proud of him. Her thoughts drifted to her own father and she wondered whether he would ever speak to her again.

The polite seating distance with which Kitty and Thomas had begun their time together was gradually lost as Kitty read through the letters. By the time she had finished the fourth letter she found herself rather comfortably leaning against Thomas's chest, one of his arms had found its way around her and his chin was resting on the top of her head as he scanned the letters along with her.

Her reading complete, she handed the letters back to Thomas who assembled them back into his pile and put them back into his pocket.

"Do I get to read Sylvie's letter now?" he asked. She handed the letter to him and watched as his attention was immediately caught by the drawing.

"You look like you're about to murder your patient." He remarked, causing her to laugh.

"Sylvie once drew a picture of her great uncle's funeral. Everyone, including the corpse, was smiling." Thomas shook his head in amusement and gave her back the drawing.

"Are you going to write back to her?" he asked as he read through the letter itself.

"I'm not sure if I can. If I write to the house then the letter will probably get thrown out before she sees it, I might be able to send the letter to the school, if I can find the address, but it's possible they will throw it away if they find out it's from me."

"That is a problem, they really seem to want to cut off any contact between you and her." Kitty nodded. "Who's Vera?"

"I'm not sure," Kitty replied, "She might be my ex-husband's new wife, or fiancée, I don't know whether he has remarried yet or not."

"Is your divorce relatively recent?"

"I don't know whether it has gone through yet, I haven't been notified. The proceedings have definitely begun though." She paused, assessing whether or not she should say something else. "That's why I couldn't meet you that day, my ex-husband had ordered me to meet him in town to sign some papers." There was a gap in the conversation as Thomas processed the new information.

"I understand." He clearly had more questions but was not going to raise them at this point, which Kitty was grateful for. It had taken a lot of effort for her to even mention her ex-husband to him and she was not sure if she could continue.

They spent a few more minutes in companionable silence until Thomas handed Kitty the rest of his letters for her amusement. They parted about an hour later, when Kitty was no longer willing to ignore the increasing frequency of Thomas's yawns and firmly sent him back to sleep. He kissed her goodbye before urging her to write back to Sylvie.

"You will regret it if you don't at least try to send her a reply."

As Kitty waited alone in the forest, she mulled over her current situation. By the time she was able to walk back to the hospital without anyone suspecting she had met Thomas, she had made a decision and as she walked she planned what she would do next.

* * *

**AN: I hope you guys enjoyed the KittyxThomas moments. There should be at least two more chapters, possibly more, I won't know until I have a clearer plan. Right now I've roughly planned the beginning and middle but no conclusion (which there really needs to be, some of my middle is pretty angsty). There's going to be a gap between this chapter and Chapter 4 since my plan is very rough and I need to do a little research for it as well. Thanks for the reviews, they always brighten my day :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 4

Sylvie had never really liked Lady Agnes's School for Girls, Mummy hadn't either. Her first day had been dreadful, the teachers and other girls had been haughty and cold, and when Sylvie eventually went home it was in tears. Mummy had held her as Sylvie cried and told her all about what had happened. The resulting argument between Mummy and Father had not been intended for her ears but the raised voices from their bedroom caught her attention and she found herself sitting by the door, doing her best to hear what they were saying. She knew she shouldn't have been eavesdropping, she had been told off in the past by Father and Julie, the housekeeper, for sticking her nose where it didn't belong, but she knew that the conversation concerned her and she wanted to know how it would end.

"She hates it there, Elliott, and I don't blame her. She's surrounded by girls who have been raised from birth to look down on everyone else!"

"Those are the people she should be associating with in order for her to marry well, Catherine, and I will not hear another word about it!"

"But-"

Whatever Mummy had been about to say was cut off with a loud bang shortly followed by a thud that startled Sylvie, then Father spoke in the same voice he used whenever Sylvie was in trouble.

"Catherine, I've told you before, when I make a decision you are not to question it." There was a muffled sound that Sylvie could not make out, and it was at that point that Sylvie left. She did not understand most of what had happened but she did manage to grasp that she would be going back to Lady Agnes's.

Since then a lot had changed in Sylvie's life, it had started with the day that Mummy had packed up some of her and Sylvie's things and they had gone to stay with Mummy's friend, Francis. Mummy had been very upset, she had tried to hide it but Sylvie could see that she was crying. She wanted to ask what was going on but didn't want to further upset Mummy.

They stayed for a few days with Francis, the more time they spent there the calmer and happier Mummy seemed to get. The last day Mummy had left to meet Grandmother to speak about something, she asked Francis to look after Sylvie while she was gone. Less than an hour after she left, Father came.

"Sylvie, come here!" She hadn't dared to disobey, Francis had been standing next to Father, he hadn't looked very happy and neither did Father for that matter. As soon as Sylvie came within reach, Father grabbed her none too gently by the wrist.

"You've made a wise decision today." Francis's gaze did not rise from the floor as Father spoke to him. "If you interfere again, I will ruin you." With that final sentence, Father pulled Sylvie along through the door and took her home. Sylvie tried to ask about Mummy but Father cut her off.

"You are not to speak of her again. Not to me or anyone else." That rule had not applied only to Sylvie. Over the next few weeks she would occasionally catch the servants whispering about Mummy but they would stop as soon as they saw her or Father. She once tried to question Sarah, the maid that Mummy had always liked, about what was going on but Sarah refused to answer and begged Sylvie not to ask her again.

Months passed and Mummy did not return. In the meantime Father had been having lots of visitors, women mostly, they would be very kind to Sylvie while Father was around but once he was gone it was as if Sylvie was invisible. If a group of women had visited, they would talk about Mummy while Father was out of the room. The word 'whore' was often used but Sylvie did not know what it meant, she once tried to ask her favourite teacher at Lady Agnes's, Miss Brown, what the word meant but was quickly informed that it was not a word she should know, nor ever repeat.

Miss Brown was not like the other teachers at Lady Agnes's, the others were strict to the point of being cruel, and Mrs Murray was the worst. Mrs Murray disapproved of most things, impropriety and fun amongst them. What disgusted her more than anything else was the weekly event where the girls from Lady Agnes's would congregate with the boys from one of the nearby expensive schools. There was little Mrs Murray could do about it as the assembly was fully endorsed by the upper class parents as a way of introducing their children to the children of other upper class parents in the hopes of eventually leading to marriage.

Sylvie faced a lot of criticism from Mrs Murray and the other teachers, she wasn't ladylike enough, her handwriting was a mess when it should have been neat and elegant, and she was sometimes found without an uncomfortably tight corset. Instead of yelling, Miss Brown had a gentler approach to correcting Sylvie's ways, even if she didn't always agree that those ways needed correcting.

When Sylvie found a slip of paper in Father's study (where she wasn't allowed to go) with the title 'Catherine's Address', the first person who came to mind who might help her was Miss Brown. Though initially reluctant, Sylvie eventually managed to convince Miss Brown to help her send the letter. That had been a month or so ago, Sylvie had waited for a reply every day to no result until quite suddenly, in her extra class with Miss Brown to try to correct her handwriting, Miss Brown handed her an envelope.

"You're lucky I found the letter and not one of the others." Miss Brown said quietly. "I know it's difficult for you to be separated from your mother, but I cannot keep helping you with these letters, it is dangerous for me as well."

Sylvie did not reply, she clutched the letter tightly and merely nodded her assent. Sylvie waited until it was late at night to read the letter. The situation reminded of her of the nights she couldn't sleep. Mummy would sneak in with a candle and they would read together stories about great adventures until Sylvie eventually drifted off. In a way, reading this letter would be like those night but this time it would be Mummy's adventure.

_My darling Sylvie, _

_I've missed you so much, my little monkey. I was so excited to get your letter, I didn't think I would hear from you. I know this entire situation is very confusing for you, no doubt you will understand when you are older and I pray that you don't judge me too harshly before hearing my side of the story. As soon as the war ends I'll try to come see you and explain a little better what has happened, but as much as I hope this is possible I think that it is very likely that your father will not permit me to speak to you. If I can't see you, I want you to know that I love you very much and that I think of you every day. _

_My greatest worry is that while I am away from you, your father will force you to repeat my mistake. This may all seem a little irrelevant right now, but it will become important when you turn eighteen and I don't know if I will be able to send you a message then to give you this advice. I know that your father already has plans for your future, but whatever you do, do not let him force you into a marriage you do not want. It is not a decision that should be rushed and it should not be made by anyone other than you. The war should be over before you turn eighteen and if you find yourself with no one else to turn to you can always come find me, I will never cast you out, and when you are eighteen there is nothing the law or your father can do to stop you from coming to find me. _

After that serious note, the letter became much more light-hearted as Mummy described her life as a nurse as well as all the friends she had made. The letter lingered for a little while on a man called Thomas before moving on to what Mummy was thinking of doing once the war was over.

_I might try to come back to London, but I'm not sure. Society in London will not treat me kindly and I do not embrace the prospect of seeing your father, but if being in London means that there is a chance I will see you I can handle any number of things. Scotland is another possibility, I've heard that Edinburgh is a beautiful city, the only downside would be the distance from you. _

The final few lines were more expressions of love and regret for their current separation. The comforting words of the letter, which in Sylvie's mind were spoken in the voice of her mother, a voice she still remembered with surprising clarity, had a very calming effect and the final sentence of "_I love you, my darling, and I hope to see you soon_" lulled Sylvie to sleep, the letter still clutched in her hands.

* * *

**AN: So Kitty has replied to Sylvie and we get a chapter in Sylvie's point of view. I hope you've enjoyed it, my attempt at research didn't go so well so I have invented a reason for upper class girls to go to a school. I've not quite decided what my headcanon for KittyxThomas location post-war, I'm currently leaning more towards London due to my headcanon about Kitty's father, which will probably end up featuring in the post-war fanfic I've been considering. My plan for it doesn't really have a plot but is mostly interconnected post-war KittyxThomas drabbles featuring my headcanon on both their families, let me know if you guys would be interested in reading it because I'm not totally sure yet whether or not to write it. Next chapter for this will be another point of view switch, thanks for the reviews for the last chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 5

Elliott had been having a very good morning, his divorce had just come through and Vera had accepted his proposal. She wasn't quite the catch that Catherine had been, but she did come from a very rich family, not quite as rich as Catherine's father but that attractive inheritance hadn't been an option since Richard Trevelyan had disowned her on the wedding day. Vera would be a more than adequate replacement, and hopefully without the wilful streak that had been so very irritating.

The sound of someone clearing their throat distracted Elliott from his contentment, and he peered over today's newspaper to see the housekeeper, Julie or Julia or something else beginning with a J, looking a little apprehensive.

"Yes, what is it?" Elliott demanded. She stepped closer and held a piece of paper out to him.

"One of the maids found this when waking Miss Sylvie, I believe it will be of some interest to you." Elliott snorted, it was incredibly unlikely that a frivolous little girl's document could be of any importance to him, but he laid his newspaper down and took the sheet. Having completed her task, and having no interest in being around for the outcome, Julie nodded respectfully and left to perform her other duties.

As Elliott read through the first lines of the letter his expression abruptly morphed from disinterest to ice cold fury. He was not a man prone to loud outbursts of anger, he found such men rather uncouth. He preferred to handle his business efficiently and with the decorum that befitted a man of his station, but if his disposition had not been thus, he might have smashed every piece of glass in the room.

He knew that Catherine had always been stubborn but he had never believed she would dare to try to contact Sylvie. She knew the law as well as he did, the law granted him sole custody over Sylvie and thus he was the only one who had any say in any communication between the two. No doubt Sylvie had already read the poisonous words that were blatantly an attempt to turn Sylvie against her only respectable parent and- he paused as he reread the second sentence of the letter. "_I was so excited to get your letter, I didn't think I would hear from you."_

_Sylvie_ had begun this correspondence. He would be having words with that girl soon, but she was not as much to blame as her mother. Sylvie was only a child and children made stupid decisions all the time. Perhaps, Elliott mused, in some way his ex-wife was correct. If Elliott had explained to Sylvie what her disgrace of a mother had done, Sylvie would have known to sever all ties with Catherine.

He forced himself to calmly read through the paragraph where Catherine advised Sylvie on her future marriage. That was a particular problem that would be a pain to deal with, hopefully Sylvie had not understood what it had meant but if she had he would have to waste a lot of time dissuading her of any idea of future independence. A firm reminder that, as an adulteress, Catherine could never remarry and would have to work in a job that would barely support her, let alone Sylvie, might be enough to make Sylvie reconsider any notion of leaving home.

He read on, skimming through the irrelevant natter about Catherine's work in France and her friends, who probably wouldn't been so kind if they knew what she was really like, but he found himself slowing down during a certain passage.

_Not all my friends are women, there are quite a few men here who are very kind. There's an orderly called Peter who spends quite a bit of time with us VADs, he's a bit abrupt and fairly sarcastic but he is great fun. There's also Miles who is always cracking jokes, no matter the situation. It can get a little irritating but he usually does manage to cheer me up when I'm feeling down. _

_The one I am probably the closest to is a captain called Thomas. He is very kind to me and I really hope that you get a chance to meet him as I think you would like him very much. I've spoken about you to him quite a lot, he managed to convince me to send you a letter. We've been spending a lot of time together recently and he's told me a little about his family. He has four siblings, a fact which in a way makes me a little sad because I think about you not having anyone to play with when you're living with your father. Maybe after he marries his new wife you will have some brothers and sisters to play with. _

_I sometimes wonder whether or not I will have any more children. I send quite a few letter to parents to inform them that their children are dead and it makes me glad that I don't have to worry about my children being shot in a trench or dying of gangrene. The colonel in charge of our hospital lost a son one night, I remember hearing him crying. I can't imagine what he is going through, I might be separated from you but I know you are alive and well, to lose a child so completely seems like such a distant concept. _

The first and third paragraphs were disregarded almost immediately as Elliott focussed on the second. It sounded as though Catherine had already found another man to spread her legs for. Elliott thought back to the time he has spent in France visiting Catherine to arrange the divorce confession, there had been a man there, one who thought he could speak to him as an equal. Had that been Thomas? Elliott had clearly told the man that Catherine was a whore, so why was the man still speaking to her? It was probably only because of her loose nature. Elliott refused to believe that a man would take any serious interest in Catherine after what she had done, whores were not allowed second chances.

The rest of the letter was inconsequential to him. The letter was carefully folded and put away, he would have burnt it but he may have use for it later. For now, he had a daughter to speak to and travel details to arrange.

* * *

**AN: So the Crimson Field has been cancelled. I'm both disappointed and relieved at the news. Disappointed because it was a great show and it's a shame we'll never see another episode, but I'm also a little relieved because the fact that Kitty and Thomas got together at the end of the first season is a little worrying in terms of a long term tv show. I've usually found that in multiple season tv shows, if a couple gets together in the first season then other seasons will then try to force stupid conflicts and idiotic love triangles and all sorts of other crap. So yeah, sad that I can't watch any more but also relieved that BBC doesn't have a chance to fuck it up.**

**Anywho we have a chapter in Elliott's point of view now, as well as a few allusions to the kind-of-sequel I mentioned last chapter, there should be one or two chapters left of this before I start writing the post-war fic. Thanks to through-the-eye-of-a-needle for reviewing last chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 6

"When this war is over, I am never ever going to wash a piece of cloth ever again." Flora complained to Kitty. The two of them were busy recycling bandages, Flora was washing them while Kitty passed the freshly cleaned pieces of cloth through the rollers of the mangle in order to press out the water. The work was almost unbearably dull, particularly for Kitty as she was usually quicker to dry the bandages than Flora was at washing them, so between batches of cloth she had to wait for Flora to finish.

"I suspect there will be a lot of things we won't ever do again once the war is over." Kitty replied.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do when the war is over?"

"A little. I have a lot of family problems to sort out when I get home. How about you?"

"I've been thinking about training to be a nurse." Flora admitted. "I know it will be really different to what we have been doing here, but it's been really good to be useful here. I finally feel like I've got something important to do."

"If you feel that way then you should definitely try it." Kitty told her supportively. "Just don't let Sister Quayle know, she's terrified that we will want to become nurses after being here."

Flora looked like she was about to say something disparaging of Sister Quayle but bit back whatever she was going to say as they both noticed Matron Carter approaching.

"Miss Marshall, I trust you can handle this task by yourself?" Flora nodded. "Miss Trevelyan, if you could follow me." Matron made to leave but paused and turned back around, she looked Flora up and down disparagingly. "Your uniform is incorrect, Marshall." Flora hastily adjusted herself as Kitty followed Matron to her office.

At the office, Matron gestured towards a seat as she sat down behind her desk. Taking the proffered seat, Kitty mentally ran through what she had been doing recently, wondering if any of her past actions was worthy of a reprimand, which she assumed was the purpose of this meeting. She panicked a little as she started to wonder if Matron had discovered her and Thomas's relationship.

"I have received orders that you are to meet Mr Elliott Vincent again in town." Matron stated. Kitty half relaxed as she first noticed that she was not being sent home before she tensed at the realisation that she would once again have to face her husband. "The orders state that the matter is of some importance." Matron continued, Kitty wondered what more Elliott could possibly have to say to her, she had given him everything he needed for the divorce, what else did he need from her?

"When?" Kitty asked quietly.

"Tomorrow afternoon, the meeting is scheduled for two o'clock." Matron replied. Kitty nodded absently, still deep in thought as to what she would do. "I don't mean to pry," Matron said, "but who is he?"

"My ex-husband." Grace looked stunned, clearly that had not been the answer she had been expecting.

"And your daughter?"

"He won't let me see her." They were both silent for a while, Kitty silently mourning the separation between her and Sylvia while Grace remained deep in thought. Eventually Grace broke the silence.

"It is difficult for a mother to be separated from her child." Grace hesitated, as if unsure whether or not to continue. "I understand that feeling more than you might expect." Kitty stared at her blankly for a moment, not comprehending what Grace had just disclosed before realisation suddenly dawned.

"What happened?"

"I had a son." Grace paused. "A long time ago." They did not speak again, both thinking about their own situations as well as each others. Grace silently dismissed Kitty and Kitty left with a much greater understanding of the stern Matron.

* * *

Kitty spent the rest of the day worrying about what would happen when she met Elliott. Before their last meeting, she had hoped that the separation meant he would have at least treated her civilly and not have attempted anything untoward, however she had been proven wrong so she did not know what to expect. She could not even hope that his new marriage/engagement would prevent him from trying anything as she had her suspicions that during their marriage he had been unfaithful, at the time she had just been grateful to be given a reprieve for the night.

Kitty did not even have her work to distract her from her worries as she was currently supervising two sleeping patients to ensure that they didn't tear at the stitches beneath their bandages. While her task was important, it did mean that she had a lot of time to think instead of focussing on bandaging or any other of the tasks she was usually assigned to.

From her seated position by the beds she heard the flap of the ward tent open and shut, glancing over she saw Thomas talking quietly to an amputee patient. Once finished he made a few notes on the clipboard at the bottom of the bed and then walked over to her. At his questioning look she gestured at the two patients.

"I'm supervising." He nodded understandingly. "Do you have a pass for tomorrow?" Kitty asked.

"No. Miles does."

"Oh." Kitty was somewhat disappointed.

"Why?"

"I have to go to town tomorrow, Elliott has demanded a meeting." She shook her head. "Last time that happened it didn't go so well, if it hadn't been for Miles, it could have gone a lot worse."

"I can get the pass off Miles if you would prefer me to be there." Thomas suggested. "He owes me a pass."

"I thought you were going to spend your free time working on a new paper?" Thomas shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'll bring my typewriter and get some work done, and we could get dinner afterwards to cheer you up."

"Are you sure?" Kitty asked uncertainly.

"Of course. Besides, I might get the opportunity to punch him. I couldn't pass up on that chance." Kitty smiled weakly at his attempt at humour, if they had been alone she would have hugged him.

She couldn't help but wonder at how her luck had changed, after her reputation had been ruined she had never dreamt that she would ever be given a second chance, let alone a second chance with someone who seemed determined to make her happy and calmly accepted a past many others would have turned their nose up at.

* * *

**AN: So finally got around to updating this! This chapter we got some Kitty-Flora bonding as well as some Kitty-Grace bonding. I know there was a fan theory about Grace having a child she gave up so I've incorporated that into this chapter to give her and Kitty something in common although I'm unlikely to mention it again, but I thought some of you might like that little mention.**

**I know a few of you have already read 'Unexpected Revelations' but for those who haven't, I promised a few chapters back to write a confrontation between Miles and Thomas over Miles seeing Kitty and Thomas meeting in the woods, that confrontation (which takes place before this chapter of 'Unexpected Correspondence') is now up so if you're interested check it out.**

**Thanks to** Lauretta92, Laura Argent, through-the-eye-of-a-needle **and** Margje **for reviewing last chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 7

The next day found Kitty patiently waiting by the car for Thomas to arrive. He was late, but he had told her earlier that he had an operation before they were due to meet to set off, so she assumed that his work had run over time. A few minutes later, Kitty noticed the captain speedily walking in her direction with a typewriter tucked under his arm and looking rather sheepish. He briefly apologised for his tardiness and opened the car door for her, before carefully depositing his typewriter in the car and getting in himself.

Unlike the last time she had taken this drive, Thomas did not feel the need to fill the tense silence as Miles had. Recalling that time, Kitty felt a little guilty at how she had treated Miles, what he had said to her _had_ been out of order but she had overreacted, and his later behaviour when he had saved her from Elliott more than made up for his previous actions.

"Are you okay?" Thomas asked, when they were a few miles away from the town.

"I'm a little worried." Kitty admitted. "I'm scared something will go wrong."

"I won't let that happen." Thomas reassured her, squeezing her knee comfortingly.

The rest of the journey continued in companionable silence, although Kitty couldn't help but fidget more and more nervously as they approached the town.

Upon arrival at the hotel, Thomas went to get a room for himself sorted, and once he had his key he walked over to the corner where she was waiting for him.

"I'm in Room 18." He told her, Kitty nodded.

"I'll meet you there in a few minutes." Thomas picked up his typewriter from where he had left it and went in the direction of the rooms while Kitty went to the reception to find out where she was supposed to meet Elliott.

"Excuse me," Kitty said in French to the receptionist to catch his attention, "I am supposed to meet Mr Elliott Vincent at two o'clock, have any arrangements been made?" The receptionist consulted a book on the desk.

"Mr Vincent has booked a private meeting room for two o'clock." Kitty's heart sank, the last time they had met had been in the restaurant, a public location where he couldn't do anything to her. The only reason he had managed to get to her had been because she had foolishly run into an empty room in the hope of seeing Sylvie, and now he had specifically planned for them to be alone. She couldn't help but worry about what he had in mind for their meeting.

Kitty thanked the receptionist and headed to Room 18. She knocked tentatively at the door, doing her best not to look across the corridor where the room where she had thought Sylvie to be in was. She closed her eyes as the memories of the terror she had felt both times she had been trapped against a door that day washed over her. One time held there by Elliott, his body pressing against her bringing back all the memories of him forcing himself on her, the other time desperately holding out a fork in a last ditch attempt at defending herself. She wondered if she would have any opportunity to grab a weapon before meeting Elliott.

By the time Thomas opened the door, which could have only been a minute or two, but to Kitty felt like a lot longer, tears were already streaming down her face. Thomas looked like he was about to say something but whatever it was died on his lips as he saw her distress, he quickly ushered her in and hugged her comfortingly.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Bad memories," Kitty replied, wiping her eyes, "God, I've been such an emotional mess lately."

"That's understandable, the last few weeks have been rough and you have been through a lot."

"Today's not likely to be that much better," Kitty said quietly, "Elliott has booked a private meeting room. Whatever he has to say to me must be pretty important if he doesn't want anyone to overhear, either that or he has some other motivation."

"That is a problem," Thomas murmured absently as he tried to think of a solution, "I could stand outside the meeting room while you talk. If he tries anything you could make some noise, knock over a chair or something, and I'll come in immediately."

"That might work." Kitty replied, Thomas didn't speak for a moment as he carefully considered whether or not to ask her something.

"Has he ever been violent towards you?" Kitty nodded against his shoulder, she felt his arms around her tighten in response. They remained like that for a moment until Kitty gently pushed him away.

"How has your paper been going?" She asked, he looked a little thrown by the abrupt change in topic, but also seemed to understand why she felt the need to discuss something, anything, else.

"It's going well, I haven't written very much yet but the topic is very interesting." They both went to sit at the small hotel desk where Thomas had stationed his typewriter as he continued explaining to her the intricacies of the subject his paper was on, in an attempt to take her mind off the meeting that was only half an hour away.

Eventually they were not able to delay any longer, Thomas's animated description trailed off as he glanced at the clock.

"It will be fine." He reassured her, but this time his words had less of an effect. They left the room together, Kitty tightly gripping his hand, and soon they stood in front of the door to the meeting room.

"I will be just outside the door," Thomas told her quietly, "if I hear anything, I will come straight in." He squeezed her hand one final time before letting go and stepping aside, so that when the door opened anyone inside would not be able to see him. "Good luck." Kitty smiled weakly and steeled herself for what lay ahead. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hello Catherine, you're late."

* * *

**AN: *looks out from behind shield* Next chapter is the big confrontation, I swear! No more filler or delaying. Next chapter should also be the last chapter, I have seven points on my plan to go through to get to the end of the fan-fic which will hopefully fit into one chapter, if not it should definitely fit into two chapters. I'm aiming to get everything posted up by the 26th which is when I go away for a while but I can't guarantee to get it all done by then, I shall do my best though!**

**Thanks to** Lauretta92, through-the-eye-of-a-needle, Kate **and** Margje **for reviewing last chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 8

"Hello Elliott." Kitty said coldly. "I was unaware that we had anything else to say to each other." Her ex-husband was calmly seated in a plush chair with a glass of wine, there was an empty chair in front of him that was clearly meant for her but as she had no intention of being within arm's reach of him she stayed where she was.

Elliott didn't reply, he didn't even look at her, instead focussing his gaze on the ruby liquid in his glass which moved as he swirled the glass. He breathed in the smell of the wine before slowly taking a sip. Kitty's fists clenched in anger at being ignored, she knew what he was doing, he had done it before. He was deliberately acting casually, attempting to rile her so that when he eventually reached the topic of conversation he actually wanted to talk about he would suddenly change mood and intimidate her, cutting off any chance of her standing up to him.

"French wine has a certain reputation." Elliott said finally. "Particularly wine from Bordeaux, it is expected to be superb and is priced as such, but as with all things wine cannot be trusted to behave as it is expected to." As he said those last few words his sharp stare suddenly targeted her, Kitty raised her chin defiantly. She had understood the accusation even if she didn't know what she had supposedly done.

"Get to the point Elliott, I don't want to waste time playing your games."

"Interesting you should mention games, the reason I have had to drag myself here for today was because of you playing games with Sylvie." Kitty looked back at him blankly. "You didn't think I would find out about your letter to her?" He laughed, it was a short derisive sound devoid of any amusement and sent a small chill down Kitty's spine.

The offending letter was removed from the inside of his jacket, his expression unreadable. Kitty was all too aware of that letter's companion, Sylvie's original letter to her, which was currently in her own pocket where it had resided since she had received it.

"What of it?" Kitty said, hating the way her voice trembled, betraying her fear. "You wouldn't let me speak to her or send her anything, so why shouldn't I have found another way? She is my daughter as well."

"You gave up any rights to her when you tried to run away." Elliott said calmly, his voice may have been even but his stare was piercing. He had always hated it when she talked back. "And even if you hadn't, you cannot expect me to approve of any of what you wrote about."

Elliott straightened the letter a little before reciting from it. "_The one I am probably the closest to is a captain called Thomas. He is very kind to me and I really hope that you get a chance to meet him as I think you would like him very much._" He shook his head in amusement. "For all your protestations that you didn't sleep with that Francis fellow you certainly seem inclined to blatantly flaunt your adultery to your own daughter."

He leaned forward slightly to fix her with his stare. "Tell me, is Thomas that self-important little captain who presumed to order me when we last saw each other?" Kitty didn't answer. "Did you let him fuck you for protecting you from me that day?" Again Kitty was silent, her hands clenching into fists. Answering him would only make the situation worse.

Almost disappointed at her refusal to take the bait, Elliott continued on. "No matter, that does not concern me at the moment." He rose from the chair, leaving his wine glass on the side table. The sudden movement made Kitty flinch and she instinctively looked towards the door before restraining herself from running towards it and the protection that lay just beyond it. She would not show Elliott weakness.

Elliott slowly walked towards her, Kitty firmly stood her ground. She was now wishing that she had stolen a scalpel from the hospital before coming to the hotel. He stopped right before her, Kitty looked up to meet his glare.

"What is going to happen now," Elliott said quietly, "is that you and I are going to go to my room. I've brought Sylvie on this little excursion-" Kitty interrupted him with a short laugh.

"If you think I'm going to believe _that_ after-"

"Don't interrupt me!" The voice that was so rarely raised intimidated Kitty into silence, she wanted so desperately not to tremble but the sudden shout in addition to the fact that he was so close to her and that she was now backed against a wall meant that she was shaking like a leaf.

Satisfied that Kitty was not going to interrupt him again, Elliot resumed what he had been saying, his voice once again quiet and measured. "You and I are going to my room and you are going to tell Sylvie what a whore you have been, that everything you said in that letter was a lie, that you will _never_ see her again- let alone provide her with a place to stay, that I am her only respectable parent and that she should defer to me in all matters in the future."

Kitty felt an object being shoved into her hand, she looked away from Elliott to see what it was. It was a hotel key and hanging from the hook was a small tab with the number 22 on it. "Are we in agreement?" Elliot asked.

"You are out of your mind if you think I am going to lie to her like that." Kitty replied defiantly, glaring up at him with all the hatred she could muster.

"You will or else I will-"

"I will not!" Kitty shouted at the top of her voice, causing Elliott to take a small step back in surprise. "There is nothing in the world that you can threaten me with that will convince me to tell Sylvie that you are in _any_ way a good parent or that she should listen to you." Elliot lunged towards her furiously, grabbing her by the throat. Kitty helplessly tried to pry his hand away, but to no result.

* * *

**AN: *remains hiding behind shield* Soooo I couldn't fit all of my plan into this chapter, so we get two more chapters (WHICH I HAVE ACTUALLY FINISHED WRITING!) then it will 100% definitely be the end (until the sequel), but it's not my fault. It's Elliott's fault for being such an attention whore and taking up the entire chapter so please vent your rage at him instead of me for the cliff-hanger, and let's face it we all know what's going to happen next so it's really not much of a cliff-hanger ;) As I have finished writing the fic (only have last minute editing to do), Chapter 9 will be posted tomorrow and Chapter 10 will be posted the day after.**

**Thanks to** Lauretta92, TheCurlymop, through-the-eye-of-a-needle **and **Margje **for reviewing last chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 9

There was a loud bang that sounded like a door being slammed open, and Kitty found herself suddenly dropped to the floor. Her hands went straight to her sore throat where she was sure hand-shaped bruises were already forming.

"Sir." The title was snarled contemptuously in that gloriously familiar, thick Scottish accent. "I recommend you step away from her immediately." Kitty raised her head to see a furious looking Thomas shutting the door behind himself. Elliott was still near her but not as close as he had been as he had stepped away from her to confront the newcomer.

"This matter does not concern you, get out!"

"Miss Trevelyan's wellbeing _is_ my concern, and I highly doubt leaving her in your presence would be conducive to that." As Thomas said this he moved to place himself between her and Elliott, increasing the distance between them. Kitty rose to her feet unsteadily, still wary of Elliott even with Thomas as a shield between them. "Are you alright?" Thomas did not take his eyes off Elliott as he asked. "I thought I should intervene when I heard the shouting."

"I'm fine." Kitty replied. "Thank you." Elliott was looking between them calculatingly, clearly he had worked out that there was some connection between them, particularly as Thomas had referred to her by name.

"She might be fine, but you will not be if you do not leave this instant." Elliott said coldly to Thomas. "I doubt Catherine has told you but I am a politician and I wield considerable influence, I could ruin you." Elliott glanced disparagingly over Thomas's uniform which to an informed eye such as his clearly showed his rank and role. "If you stay, you will never work in a hospital again, nor any other smaller practice." Thomas did not move, his expression and body language unreadable.

"This isn't like the situation with Francis." Kitty snapped at Elliott. "You cannot just threaten to wield your influence as though yours is the only voice that counts."

"You think they will listen to you?" Elliott scoffed. "An adulteress who ran off to France to play nurse."

"Not me, my father." Kitty hated having to resort to such measures but she didn't want to risk Elliott returning to London and spreading lies about Thomas's abilities as a surgeon when all Thomas had done was try to stop him from hurting her.

"Your father hates you, why on earth would he help you in this instance."

"My father doesn't hate _me_," Kitty said disdainfully, "he hates _you_. I'm sure he would be more than happy to help me if it had negative consequences for you." Elliott looked surprised at this revelation and could not find a suitable rebuttal. Kitty suspected that if Thomas had not been there Elliott would have tried to hit her, he certainly looked like he wanted to.

"Do you want to get back to the hospital?" Thomas asked her, once he realised that Elliott had been silenced for the time being.

"He says Sylvie is here," Kitty replied, "I have a key to the room."

"Go see her," Thomas told her, "I'll make sure Mr Vincent doesn't attempt to follow you." He fixed Elliot with a glare that was far scarier than the one he used on her weeks ago when she interrupted him when his patient died. That glare had been pretty intimidating then but there was no comparison, she was almost surprised that Elliott hadn't melted to the floor in a puddle because of it.

Still clutching the key for Room 22 in her hand Kitty walked towards the door, turning her back on the two men still in the room. She thought she heard a footstep but it was rapidly followed by Thomas telling Elliott threateningly that if he took one more step towards her he would personally do his very best to cause him pain.

Closing the door behind herself, Kitty let out a shaky sigh of relief before hastily walking towards the hotel's rooms, wondering if Elliott had been honest this time about Sylvie's presence or if it had been a ruse as it was before.

Unlike the last time she did not run to the room, a brisk walk would be a more accurate description of her pace. She paused in front of the door to Room 22. Kitty felt terribly conflicted, she desperately wanted Sylvie to be behind that door but she also dreaded opening that door and finding out in case Elliott had lied again. Kitty did not think she could handle such disappointment again. At the very least she knew that if the room was empty, Elliott didn't have the chance to attack her again, she sincerely believed that Thomas's threat should Elliott try to leave the room was serious.

Deciding it was better to get the disappointment over with, Kitty slowly inserted the key into the lock and turned it, swinging the door open.

* * *

**AN: *cautiously still behind shield* Slightly shorter chapter than normal, sorry about that! At least we have Thomas being fairly awesome, even if he didn't punch Elliott. Next chapter is the final chapter of the fic, it is already written and will be posted on the 25th (tomorrow!) it is a little longer than normal since it is the last chapter and to make up for this chapter being a little on the short side.**

**Thanks to** Lauretta92 **and** TheCurlymop **for reviewing last chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

Unexpected Correspondence

Chapter 10

The sight before her stunned Kitty into silence. There, sitting by the desk, brow furrowed in concentration was her beautiful six year old daughter, busy drawing. The sound of the door opening made Sylvie raise her head and look over at Kitty, a giant grin immediately broke over her face and she ran over to her. Kitty scooped her up with little effort, quickly laying a kiss on an offered cheek.

"Hello sweetheart," Kitty said, holding Sylvie tight, "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Mummy." Kitty carefully lowered Sylvie back down to the ground and crouched so that they were at eye level. Kitty gently pushed Sylvie to arm's length so that she could look at her properly for the first time in what felt like years. Her hair was longer and she was a little taller, but her smile was as bright as ever. Sylvie reached a hand out to touch Kitty's face, just under her eyes where a few tears had leaked out.

"Why are you crying?" Sylvie asked, looking very confused at what she assumed to be her mother's sadness.

"Happy tears, my little monkey. Sometimes people cry when they are really happy." They hugged again, Kitty relishing in the feel of small hands wrapped around her neck, too happy to care that her neck still hurt from a vastly different embrace. After a moment, Sylvie detached herself and looked behind Kitty.

"Where's father? He told me you both had something to tell me."

"He's not coming right now, we had a disagreement about what he wanted me to tell you." A few strands of Sylvie's hair had fallen out of their braid, Kitty lightly brushed the strands away from her eyes. "Did you get a chance to read my letter?" Sylvie nodded enthusiastically.

"Father was really angry though, he told me it was all a lie and that I shouldn't trust you because you were a bad person." Sylvie looked up at Kitty with her big brown eyes, as though apologising for what Elliott had said. "I didn't believe him though."

"You were right not to," Kitty replied, trying to hide her anger at what Elliott said so as not to scare Sylvie, "what I said in the letter was all true. Your father is very angry at me so he is going to say some very nasty thing about me, but you shouldn't believe any of them. It is better to pretend to believe him but to remember that it isn't true and that I love you very much."

"I love you too." Sylvie said sincerely. "Are you going to come home soon?"

"I'm sorry honey that's not possible. I have to stay here until the war is over and help the soldiers to get better." Kitty told her sadly. "When the war is over, I'll come back to London and I will do my best to try to see you."

"I wish you could come home now, Father is getting married to Vera and I don't like her as much as you."

"I'm sure Vera is very nice when you get to know her." Sylvie shrugged, a little petulantly. "Another issue you are going to have to get used to is that while I may be able to come back to London, I am never going to be living in your Father's house again."

"Why not? Father hasn't remarried yet, there's still time for you to make up." Kitty's heart broke a little at how unhappy Sylvie looked at the thought of not having both her parents around at the same time.

"Sylvie, for two people to get married and stay married they have to like each other." Kitty paused, aware that what she was saying was not entirely the truth, she had never liked Elliott nor ever wanted to marry him but she didn't think that trying to turn Sylvie against her father would be a good move since in all likelihood Sylvie would be stuck with Elliott until she turned eighteen. "Your father and I no longer like each other, he now likes Vera and I also like someone else. It is just like the situation between your grandfather and grandmother that I told you about a long time ago."

"Being married sounds complicated." Kitty laughed at how annoyed Sylvie sounded about the weird world of being an adult.

"It is." Kitty glanced at the clock, she had been gone for a while she should probably get back soon and make sure Thomas and Elliott hadn't managed to kill each other. Sylvie followed her gaze.

"Father said we were not staying for long, he just wanted you to talk to me and then we would leave."

"I wish we had more time together." Kitty said sadly. "But I'm glad we have at least had a chance to see each other, which is more than I thought I would get."

"I'm glad too." Kitty embraced her warmly one last time.

"I will try to see you when the war is over." Sylvie hugged her tighter, Kitty gave her one last squeeze before regretfully letting go and getting back up. She walked over to the door and looked back at Sylvie, a sad smile on both their faces.

"Goodbye sweetheart."

"Bye Mummy."

* * *

When Kitty opened the door to the meeting room the first thing she saw was Thomas, looking rather pleased with himself, the second thing she saw was Elliott sitting back in his chair nursing what appeared to be a broken nose and glaring at Thomas as though he were some bug he wanted to crush underneath a shoe. Kitty had faced that stare before and was a little surprised to see how completely unperturbed Thomas was by it.

The movement of the door caught both of their attention and they turned towards her.

"Ready to go?" Thomas asked cheerily. Kitty nodded, she went over to where Elliott was sitting. He shot her a venomous look, she met his gaze blankly and set down the key to Room 22. Without another word she and Thomas both left the hotel, Thomas stopping to pick up his typewriter and hand in his key on the way.

Instead of heading to the car, Thomas led her in another direction.

"Where are we going?" Kitty asked, Thomas gave her a quick, heart-melting smile.

"I promised you dinner, didn't I?"

About 10 minutes later they found themselves seated in a small café, enjoying a perfectly respectable meal. Although in fairness, with the food they were served at the hospital Kitty would have welcomed cardboard as a respectable meal.

"So what happened after I left?" Kitty asked, she noticed Thomas shifting a little uncomfortably.

"Not much." Kitty's raised eyebrow indicated completely how she felt about the honesty of that statement. "He may have said some unflattering things about you."

"So you punched him?" Thomas nodded sheepishly although she felt he was still holding something back.

"And what happened after that?"

"He may have then said some rather unflattering things about me and you." Thomas paused, scowling a little. Kitty could guess what Elliott might have said about her and Thomas. "So I punched him again. He didn't try to speak after that."

"A wise decision." It was at that point that Kitty noticed why Thomas had specifically requested their particular table, they both had a clear view of the entrance to the hotel. She and Thomas both watched silently as two figures, one much shorter than the other, exited the hotel and got into a nearby car that soon drove off.

"I've been meaning to ask." Thomas said after a while. "You mentioned a situation with Francis earlier." Kitty nodded before telling him the story.

"A few months before I came here, I ran away from Elliott and I took Sylvie with me. We went to stay with a friend of mine, Francis, he was very kind to us. Elliott found out, and while I was away for a few hours he told Francis to give up Sylvie or he would ruin his life. Francis complied." Kitty looked up at Thomas with a sad smile. "Thank you for not doing the same."

"It's not a problem, besides his threats weren't very good." Thomas said, looking a little mischievous.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I'm sure he would have a lot of influence trying to convince English hospitals not to hire me, but if an English politician tried to convince a Scottish hospital I think I would be hired on the spot. We have a tendency not to respect English politicians, particularly those with a vendetta against a fellow Scot." Kitty shook her head in amusement.

"I anticipate that he will probably try to get some type of retribution, especially since you punched him, _twice_."

"Then we will deal with that when it happens." Kitty smiled at his use of 'we', the word seemed like an unspoken promise of their future together, they didn't know each other well enough for an acknowledgement of an 'I love you' but this was good enough for now. She kissed him warmly, not caring about anyone that may have been watching.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**AN: And that's the end! I hope you have all enjoyed this fan-fiction, it has been really great to write and I'm surprised I've actually managed to finish it without any major bumps (except for a month long hiatus…). I am planning a few other things including a sequel, if you are interested I have put more details beneath my thank yous.**

**Thanks to** Lauretta92, TheCurlymop **and **Margje **for reviewing last chapter! The support for this fic has been really great, a lot better than I thought it would be. Particular thanks to** Lauretta92 **and** through-the-eye-of-a-needle **for reviewing the majority of chapters, and** TheCurlymop **and** Margje **for being particularly consistent towards the end. ****The support was really appreciated and definitely helped me to actually get this fic finished.**

* * *

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

If you've enjoyed this then you might be interested to know that I am writing a kind of sequel which is set after the war has ended and will be focussed on Kitty and Thomas trying to get married. You will notice in this fic I've mentioned Kitty's father a fair amount, he will actually be in the sequel (because Kitty has a relative that doesn't hate her! Yay!) as well as other members of Kitty's family and Thomas's family.

There will be two main conflicts in the sequel, one will be Elliott who wants a bit of revenge for getting punched…twice, the other will mostly deal with Kitty and Thomas realising exactly how different their upbringings were and having to learn how to compromise and deal with that. During the fic I'm planning on explaining a lot more of Kitty's background like the reason why Elliott wanted to marry her and other fun things like that!

Because the sequel is set a few years after this I'm also writing a one-shot to connect the two multi-chapter fan-fictions a little better which is just going to be shameless KittyxThomas fluff. It won't be completely necessary to read but it will smooth the transition a bit as from the end of this you can see that Kitty and Thomas really really like each other but by the first chapter of the sequel a few years have passed and they are in love so it might feel a bit sudden.


End file.
